I'd have to say that it probably wasn't worth it. I was anticipating the prequels since I saw ROTJ (which was when I was about 9, I think), and I remember having a grand ol' time imagining what happened before the OT. I didn't even know whether or not it was ever going to happen (the PT being created), I sort of hung out for it, even though I never thought it would. When I finally heard TPM was being made, I thought I was in 7th heaven. Even the 'making of' documentary made it look awesome. See, I didn't really expect it to outdo the OT, but I expected it to be just as good as the OT (as in, a natural extension of the Star Wars Trilogy), and just the thought of six Star Wars movies being that good...hot-damn!

Instead of being an organic, natural extension, it just seems to be its own microcosm, and the backstory elements that seemed as though they were a given, have been either completely ignored, compromised, or presented in a completely unlikely manner.

When I first saw TPM, however (and even AOTC, to some extent), I was completely brainwashed by the fact that it was Star Wars. Up until then, I thought Lucas could do no wrong. I tried to convince myself that it was awesome, even though all my non-Star Wars fan friends were saying that it was crap all around me. I would stay back and watch the entirety of the credits, just to absorb the moment, and to listen to 'Duel of the Fates'. I was in 7th heaven, but it was only because it was Star Wars and it was new. That feeling soon ran outta steam, and by the 4th viewing, I realised just how disappointing and crap it really was. I was still willing to believe that AOTC was going to be WAY better, and that GL would get back on track, but how wrong was I? On the first viewing, I just tried to ignore the ridiculous romance, the irritatingly poor 'humour' of C-3PO's coincidental mishaps, Anakin's sudden brain-explosion of anger against the sand-people, the Fetts' annoying New Zealand Maori accents, etc. but it only got me through the first viewing. After that, I just lost it. I was a fanboy no more. I became a prequel-basher and an OT purist.

I have to say, though, that I enjoyed EPIII, despite its numerous shortcomings - most of the other problems came from EPI and II - but it contained most of the stuff that I only ever expected the entire PT to cover in the first place. If EPIII was stretched over the entire PT, it's entirely possible that it could've been awesome. It could've been ONE complete, pre-written story divided into 3 installments, like the OT. But on its own, it just seemed like a rush to fit everything in that wasn't covered by the other prequels (which was quite a lot).

I think a few of GL's biggest mistakes in the PT were this:
- His infatuation with CG
- Minimal collaboration
- Less meticulous casting
- Naming ANH 'Episode IV' (thus restricting himself to have to make 3 prequels, instead of say, 1 or 4)
- Loss of OT 'headspace'
- Starting with Anakin as a child (I won't get into the numerous complications this causes, but basically, it wasted an entire episode)

That's enough from me.